OsBlog

“We believe in developing, implementing, and maintaining innovative efforts to sustain and improve our quality of life, our community, and our planet; recognizing that these areas are interconnected.”

~ Osborne Wood Products, Inc. Sustainability Statement.

“Osborne Wood Products, Inc. seeks to sustain the quality of life of our employees.  In addition to full medical benefits, employees enjoy an array of preventative health care.  From seminars on whole-body wellness to a full work-out facility, employees of Osborne Wood Products, Inc. are encouraged to take care of their bodies before sickness occurs.  Our gym facility  includes a full basketball court, racquetball court, weight room, and an aerobics room.  Such benefits inspire the employees, allowing them to contribute to an uplifting workplace atmosphere.”

~ “Sustaining Our Quality of Life,” Osborne Wood Products Catalog 112, p. 21

At Osborne Wood, we have made it no secret that the health and well being of our employees is something that we consider to be integral to true sustainability.  Recently, we have implemented a new wellness program, helping employees of OWP meet fitness goals tailored specifically to individual needs (as opposed to something more abstract and general).
A new trend has caught the attention of the news-media: treadmill desks!  We recently saw a broadcast on these and decided they were worth consideration.  After all, having recently started a new wellness program here, this could be a great way to help the office members (the only employees who sit all day long) to meet their fitness goals.

Studies have shown that regular walking for moderate distances (2-5 miles a day) can improve the immune system (which is key in an office.  Colds are so easily spread.), memory (up to 15% in 6 months time), and mood; as well as significantly decrease bad (LDL) cholesterol while increasing the good (HDL) cholesterol. In conjunction with that, it can seriously decrease the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia, and also reduce the risk for a host of cancers, in addition to lowering your blood pressure.  You would never think that something as simple as walking could be so beneficial!  But, in the typical working American’s day, there is not necessarily a lot of time to walk 4 miles.

Enter the treadmill desk.  Walking at a slow pace of 1 mile an hour a person can walk up to 8-10 miles in a single work day.  And walking for long distances at such a slow speed actually improves the health of your back, as opposed to the damage that office chairs can do.

So, all of this information in hand, we decided to make one treadmill desk and have someone try it out for a while and share their feedback (they can be ordered for anywhere from $400 - $4000, but they can be easily constructed from a basic treadmill for less than that so if you have the know-how, it’s a good idea to make your own).  We ordered the equipment, put it together, and selected the lucky guinea pig - your friendly Osblogger.

I have been using the treadmill desk for almost 2 weeks now, and I love it.  My phone, keyboard, and monitor are quite accessible on the shelf we built in to the treadmill, and my monitor sits on a shelf on my desk so I can view it easily.  Walking at this slow pace, it is very easy to stop the treadmill if I need to get something out of my reach, or run various errands around the office and plant.  After a few miles, if my feet are getting a little tired, I can stop the treadmill and put a chair on the base, and see and access things just as easily from there.  After 20 minutes or so, however, I am usually back up and walking again.

It did take me some time to get used to typing while walking, but after about a half an hour of “practice,” I was well on my way to typing at the same speed which I do sitting down.  I can definitely attest to the fact that, rather than serving as a distraction, walking actually helps improve my focus.

Alright, so that is all well and good, but one downside most consider when thinking about exercising in the workplace is sweat.  No one wants to sweat at work.  Well, walking at such a steady and gradual pace (remember, one mile an hour.  When I’m walking to get somewhere I can walk a mile in 12 minutes!  This is a much easier pace, and you’re still burning about 100 more calories per hour than you would be sitting at your desk), sweat is definitely not an issue.

Some practical “cons,” if you will:  The board installed across the arms is small; so while my phone, keyboard, and mouse fit easily, I do have to sit down if I am going to do something like address catalogs or write notes to customers.  With all the walking I am getting in now, though; it is not really a significant sidestep, and it is certainly not incredibly inconvenient.  Another is that I am not as protected from office sounds as I would be if I were sitting at a lower height.  My cubicle walls only go a few inches higher than the height of my head while I’m walking, so there is not as much of a sound barrier.  Again, this issue is pretty minimal.

The news reports showed users who said they could easily walk all day in their work shoes, but I have not found this to be true.  I keep a pair of sneakers on hand, so I can easily change into work shoes to go meet with customers, and just wear sneakers on the treadmill so I am not walking in any discomfort.

Thus far, I am really enjoying the experience!  I feel like I have more energy during the day, as being sedentary for so long can make one sleepy and / or irritable.  More energy and better overall health are certainly enough incentive to stick with this, not to mention the fact that it is so easy.  It does take a little bit of time to get used to your new work surroundings, but after the adjustment it is really quite simple.  Most of the time it does not even “feel” like I’m making the effort to do all these things while walking.

OK, pictures of the new setup: